insideyournwa.com

Well it seems like every year summer gets shorter and shorter. The kids are growing quickly and about to start a new year of school. Every year around this time it is anounced that there will be a “sales tax holiday” where people who are buying certain school supplies can buy them sales tax free.

Now before you get to excited you should know that Arkansas does not do this, and I think everyone who is reading this should do as I have done and contact Mike Beebe’s office and let them know that isn’t right. Here is how you contact his office: by phone is 501-682-2345; and by mail is

Governor’s Office State
Capitol Rm 250
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

Now here is the good part, we all live close enough to Pineville MO to take part in their tax free holiday. I will be posting the details of the holiday at the end of this post, but first I want to point out that yet again we are being pushed from our own state for purchases. When you go school shopping do you buy anything else? Do you get gas? Do you get groceries? Do you take your family out to eat?

I think many of us will buy other things when we go shopping and will spend plenty of dollars just over the border into MO. There is a ton of tax money already going to MO that AR should get, and this just gives us one more incentive to cross the border for goods and services. I don’t have all of the answers, but I think if state officials would get out of their cozy office located in the center of the state they could see why we need change.

Ok now after that little rant here are the details of the tax free holiday that you need to know if you are planning a trip to MO:

The closest Wal-Mart to participate is our Pineville, Missouri store just across the border. Missouri’s tax-free shopping dates are August 3 to 5. The tax free holiday applies to the following purchases:

Clothing under $100
School supplies under $50
Computer software under $350
Computers/computer equipment under $3,500

To see a list of states and what their rules are, you can click on http://singleparents.about.com/od/cuttingcosts/qt/TaxFreeHoliday.htm and go to the state about which you wish to make your inquiry.